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A review by petersenftleben
Ten by Gretchen McNeil
4.0
First of all, the Agatha Christie classic AND THEN THERE WERE NONE is one of my favorite books. So when I heard about the premise of TEN, I was all over it. Put a group of people in an isolated setting, start killing them off, and I'm on board.
For the most part, I enjoyed this and got what I expected. It's a fairly faithful homage to ATTWN, just updated for 21st century technology and with teenagers instead of adults with secrets and guilty pasts. If you like that book and are seeking more like it, you'll probably like this one, too. Having the other house on the island added a nice amount of suspicion that made me think maybe there could be someone else on the island and thus had me second guess my predictions til the end.
But I have to take away one star because the killer's motives felt soooo immature, even for a YA novel. I just didn't think it held water given the “crimes” each victim "committed." It seemed like typical teenage behavior inflated and dramatized to the point of near ridiculousness. More importantly, though, the relationship between Meg and Minnie frustrated me to no end. I’m glad someone finally called Meg out on how Minnie treated her, but she was loyal to the end for no apparent reason when it was obviously not reciprocated. And I didn’t buy Minnie being bipolar as an excuse for that. I also cringed every time Meg mentioned giving up T.J. because Minnie was “in love with him” even though she apparently slutted it up with every other male on two legs instead of going out with T.J. Seriously, there’s a point where sisters don’t come before misters.
Other than those two gripes, I thought this was a well-constructed and well-written mystery/thriller, and I especially appreciated the multiracial cast. Recommended for Christie fans and anyone who goes to slasher flicks.
For the most part, I enjoyed this and got what I expected. It's a fairly faithful homage to ATTWN, just updated for 21st century technology and with teenagers instead of adults with secrets and guilty pasts. If you like that book and are seeking more like it, you'll probably like this one, too. Having the other house on the island added a nice amount of suspicion that made me think maybe there could be someone else on the island and thus had me second guess my predictions til the end.
Spoiler
However, the twist with the killer is taken right from Christie, so not as surprising as it could have been.But I have to take away one star because the killer's motives felt soooo immature, even for a YA novel. I just didn't think it held water given the “crimes” each victim "committed." It seemed like typical teenage behavior inflated and dramatized to the point of near ridiculousness. More importantly, though, the relationship between Meg and Minnie frustrated me to no end. I’m glad someone finally called Meg out on how Minnie treated her, but she was loyal to the end for no apparent reason when it was obviously not reciprocated. And I didn’t buy Minnie being bipolar as an excuse for that. I also cringed every time Meg mentioned giving up T.J. because Minnie was “in love with him” even though she apparently slutted it up with every other male on two legs instead of going out with T.J. Seriously, there’s a point where sisters don’t come before misters.
Other than those two gripes, I thought this was a well-constructed and well-written mystery/thriller, and I especially appreciated the multiracial cast. Recommended for Christie fans and anyone who goes to slasher flicks.